Clean, scoop, and wash your hands. Also, keep your dog on heartworm prevention because they often have heartworm, fleas, ticks, and intestinal parasites.

I'd say no. If there were effective, natural, over-the-counter non-prescription treatments for this, we wouldn't have the significant number of problems with these diseases and parasites that we do. I would not recommend it. I've seen quite a few dogs come down with heartworms after using natural remedies at home.

Some can be serious and life-threatening. Most of them will not go away on their own. Coccidia is a protozoan parasite that your immune system keeps in check. If you have a minor case of Demodex, your immune system may keep that under control too. But most parasites have to be treated. They're not going to disappear. You usually have to do something about intestinal parasites, heartworms, fleas, and ticks. I think you'd want to get it taken care of as soon as you saw them or knew that they were around you.

Many times, yes, you can. It is important to practice good hygiene, wash your hands, and clean up the stool when they're going to the bathroom. Throw it away, don't keep it out in the yard because you don't want to cross-contaminate everything. There are plenty of parasites that you won't catch from them, but it's out there. There are some diseases that you do need to be proactive about. It is not just a third-world country problem.

We need to be worried about our children because they're crawling around, picking things up, and putting stuff in their mouths. They love the dog, and they love putting their hands in their mouth. It's not an everyday thing that should keep you up at night, but be smart about it. Wash your hands, try to be clean, and clean up messes.